The weekly sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1886-1887, 1887-06-23
TO TENNESSEE AFOOT.
A PEDESTRIAN TOUR THROUGH
NORTH-WESTERN CAROLINA.
Entertaining Description of IL Portion
of Our State About Which Little Has
Heretofore Been Written.
PAPER NO. IX.
For tie Sentinel.
BY PROF. L. B. wURREsCHKE.


gan our return.journey, going hence
forth mostly due East. Our direct
distance from Salem is here fully 12O
miles, Wilkesboro being just in the
middle of the direct line. 1t is a
surprising thought that all this dis
tance we have accomplished by the
simple process of putting one foot
before the other, going step by step.
In a similar way, that is by steady,
adding and adding, true, deep learn
ing has always to be gathered. The
requirement of a thorough acquain-
tanee with very deep science, never
proceeds, as the ignorant would sup
pose, by rapid bounds, by neck
breaking and astonishing leaps, but
step by step, constantly building up
one more small stone on what has
been built before. I might add, that
in similar way the soundest kind
of material wealth is gathered, not
by sudden jerks and violent leaps,
but by persistent, quiet adding and
adding. When at the beginning of
our return journey we crossed the
floating foot-log again toward the
Kast we saw strange creature lying
ON the bank of the river. 1t was
about q feet long, very '.junky," as
one would say, and rather repulsive
looking. Ny first impression was,
that it was some strange fish-but
my son called my attention to the
fact that instead of fins, it had claws
like an alligator. 1t had, however,
a regular fish tail, with vertical
caudal fin, no scales, and as said be-
fore, claws at its extremities. 1t is
not eatable, the people much dislike
the creature which seems to be vic
ious and spoils the fishing wherever
it is found. This creature is evident
ly the perfect link between the class
es of reptiles and fishes-haying
characteristic marks OF both, just as
the renowned Australian duck-billed
Platypus is the perfect link between
the classes of Mammalia and Birds. [
feel confident, that outside of Amer
ican textbooks on Natural History
this interesting creature is still un-
known. We found out that the animal
is called Waterdog-or mud puppy,
and is found in the waters of Ashe
and Watauga counties. Whether
found also in other waters, I cannot
tell, but am inclined to think that it
is not. After travelling some miles
Eastward, we came again near to the
Watauga river at one of its north
ward bends. Of course we made a
regular stay near it. I, myself, sat
mostly under wide-spreading chest
nut oak on its banks making some
sketches and conversing with the
friendly and pleasant owner of the
nearest farm, whilst my son was
mostly fishing. The old man, who
owned the land where we stopped
was a Carolinian by birth, from near
Salisbury, Cowan by name, and we
shall never forget the true friendli-
ness and hospitality with which he
asked us to his house and urged us
to stay longer. We took some milk
and some apples, but could not make
longer stay, having long journey
yet before us. I may as well state
here, what impression we got gener-
ally from the people whom we me
with in our journeyings, most strik
ingly in the mountain regions, tho
really not less SO along the who'll
valley of the Yadkin river. This i
what I have to say on this point: I
did my heart good, it cheered,
composed, it warmed my heart, as i
had not felt warmed in long time
to come into contact with these plail
and simple, these very kind and hos
pitable, these true and whole-soulee
people. It gave, as it were, a ney
impulse, a new lease of life, to m,
dull and heavy mind, inclined to-
much to take a<gloomy a view. Wha
also impressed me ever so much wa
the good tone, the gentle manners
the trne-hearted politeness and con
sideration for others, all these mark
of what the world calls high breed
ing-coming, as itwere, spontaneous
ly or as gifts of nature to these free
born people. Again and again W
met with men, engaged, maybe, j
hoeing the ground, men who ha
probably enjoyed but very little Q
no school education, who yet woul
converse with as much affability an